Students living in the boundaries of Jackson Public Schools will soon be promised a college education, state officials said today.

The district was selected as one of 10 Michigan Promise Zones, high-poverty areas that will use a combination of state and private dollars to send all of their students to college, the state Department of Treasury announced today.

"Our students have an enormous amount of opportunity before them," said A'Lynne Robinson, Jackson Public Schools' spokeswoman.

Robinson said the designation allows Jackson to level the playing field when it comes to its students' access to college.

A zone must first raise enough money to promise at least a two-year degree to students within its boundaries.

The state will then allow zones to capture half of the growth in state education property taxes in their communities.

But zones must foot the bill for two years, proving they can sustain the scholarship program, before the state will release the captured tax money.

Robinson said the district was well aware of that part of the deal.

"We are certainly confident that everybody in the Jackson area is as excited as we are so there will be some across-the-board cooperation with businesses," she said.